Rule #1: When you move into a new house, don't do much at first. Live in it, see what you want to create. I have a Dutch Colonial and after 39 yrs hired a horticulturalist for the front yard. The design is simple, yet elegant. Don't know why I didn't think of it. We have a lawn, center path up to front door, next to sidewalk 2 triangles of Fern Fox, Tinkerbell Agapanthas & Pansies (Blue & Yellow). We have azaleas near the house, plus Dogwoods, Camelia, etc. In front of the azaleas the professional put a row of Tinkerbell Agapanthus, 2 English shrubs (like Christmas trees) & 2 Hydrangeas (on each side of path), blue & yellow Pansies. Cedar is all over the beds & it looks fabulous!
My house is pale blue with white shutters, white front doors. I wouldn't add anything expensive until you've lived there & paid part of the mortgage down. Life is long. You'll time to work on your house. Today it's charming!:)

Hey there... Right off the bat ACMaggio nailed it with the front window. My onlu addition is that I would as mentioned, move to black shutters. I might even go with black door surround and absolutely leave the door red. Finally I would go with black lighting fixtures
in cottage box style and black hardware for the door. A few pics for inspiration.

Super duper cute house . I think a flower box under the window on the first floor would be a nice starting point to up the cute factor . Not an expensive project and can be low maintenance. Maybe incorporate the colors of the door in the flowers the flowers used for the flower box ☺️

My first thought is to enlarge the window. If you did one thing! acmaggio has it right! See the difference! Then (now we have a tri-level) consider products that exude quality. I think a shaker would be charming and lean to the cottage direction. Hopefully you like cottage because this house would look great that way. Shutters that are not noticeably plastic (again I am speaking from what we are doing to our home now). I think nuetrals for the home and shutters, and a nice color for the door. I would stick with a softer palette. When I first looked at the door in the photo, I thought it was super narrow. The white screen door (?) and trim cut the door in half. Stick with a solid, simple door with outside trim only --no extra sitting on the main door so it doesn't cut the door in half lengthwise. Good luck!

You've made such a nice choice for your first home. Congratulations to you!

First, I actually like your shutters. But I am one to appreciate items original to a home, almost all the time. At the very least, I wouldn't change them till addressing this one issue....

The only necessary fix I see is that your sidewalk literally meets your front door.
That's a little strange, as most entrances will have at least a small porch. You can make it big enough to sit out there, or not.

My best friend has done this exact thing, as she had no porch, nor overhang.
She went larger on the porch width to place 2 modern rocking chairs with a table. She did not install an overhang at all, just a little landscaping in front of the porch. It is charming, and we love to sit there.

So I'd start here, and it's really budget-friendly. Maybe then you could just be done? I also assume your husband would love this, ha!

Add a pergola to the front of the house.....makes for a nice sitting area, as well as adding diminsion.

It's adorable. It does need anchoring.
I would add another window on each side of the original front first floor window. Shutters in between and on each side of. As to look like one continuous window. A triple window.
I would then build out the front a patio/ veranda .... Stretch it across the width of the house and pull its depth from under the triple window towards the curb. Build a narrow full wall corner partition using vertical construction and lines on the far left corner of the patio/ veranda. Paint the wall the same colour as shutters.
Landscape between the curb and patio/veranda. A tree against the patio/veranda wall will softened the look and frame the tree.
Add colour with deck furniture.
Reds ....

So much fun! I know when first moving into a house there are more dreams than money, so cheapest fix, potentially can be landscaping. You can go to a big box and get reasonably priced plants (or order online, I love American Meadows for seed and New Hampshire Hostas). But if you take this picture to a nursery they may help you build a plan and get you started; the expertise would be worth it. A tree (ideally flowering) would be great on one of the corners, just don't get one too close or that will grow so big as to overwhelm the house. If you are willing to start from seed or buy small (or get starts from others' gardens) and wait a season or two for results, you can build an amazing landscape super cheap.

Other than that, I love the suggestions for bay window, window box, the slab and shake shingle-like siding. Have fun. And, yep, Rome wasn't built in a day!

Love the red door! And the colors in general. If you could swing a larger/bay window, do so. Work on asymmetric curvy landscaping. Very cute home!!!! Take pictures of front yard to nursery for advice on plantings.

acmaggio has the right of it! (and the computer skills are amazing as well!). If you can enlarge the front window, it wouldn't look so dwarfed by the house. Totally agree, LOVE the red door. I recently painted our front door red and everyone comments on how much they like it. I would lose the blue shutters by painting them black, and black lighting fixtures would go along with them. You've got a really cute house there.

i think your new home is lovely and has so many possibilities. for now….i would put a black arched arbor about 8 to 10 ft away from the front door over the sidewalk… metal would be good..or wood….if you can't find black…paint it…but get an arch to soften, not square. add two 20-24" dia colored pots on either side of the arbor…not too tall… then add crushed granite or gold fines or pea gravel to the whole area from the arbor back to the house and the entire width of the house or at least to the far side of the window. take the bricks or rocks that are lining your planted area now and define the area….make is soft and curved and spacious. a tall plant on the left side of the window would really help to balance. if budget allows a black iron fence would be a nice touch to define the area and make it special…lowes has one for $20 for 4ft length and the posts are pounded in…not cement…so you can move it later if needed.….add a bench and chair and sit back and enjoy and let the rest evolve..

Such a cute house! I like the current coloring of it, especially that red door, but black shutters would give it a more classic look. You could paint the door a slightly darker shade of red, but red doors are very friendly and welcoming. The red door makes your house stand out in a way that a black or white door would not. I agree with the other posters that a larger window or bay window downstairs will balance out the door on the first floor, as will black lantern lights on either side of the door. If you do a bay window, you could build in a window seat (with storage) inside that space in the house. It will give you or your pets place to sit in the sun and see what's going on outside. Your front sidewalk is narrow and unappealing. A curved brick or stone sidewalk would add curb appeal to your house. I don't see any address numbers on your house (unless they've been obscured), but an attractive white plaque with black numbers would help dress up the exterior. You should also get rid of the yews (at the corners of the house and in the middle) or whatever those bushes are. They'll just get large, spiky and messy as they grow. A dwarf Japanese maple would good set off the corner of the house (allow room for it to grow) or you could go with hollies. If you go with a patio or larger planting bed in front of your house, add some red to it to extend the color of that red door. Red geraniums in pots or red salvia (if you get sun in front) would visually expand that cheerful exterior.

Please attach more exterior images, including all elevations, and I will give it a day to make something.
Bockey, M.Sc.Arch

Didn't read through what others have said but...I'd like to see taller plants in front to fill in the areas around the lone window. And a curved path up to your front door would add a lot of charm- as would window boxes. It's an adorable house and already has good curb appeal!

So cute!!! A window boxes, dark gray shutters, a few ceramic planters?

you really need a bigger window or a way to make it look bigger, my house is also small but I did the landscape first since that will create a different look without major construction, I removed the big shrubs in front and replaced with smaller species and I checked that those will not grow too big so they wont clutter the front of the house which was the issue making my small house look even smaller. also replaced the grass (used sod) this spring I'm planning on painting the siding a shade of brown and install a low decorative fence.

I love the simplicity. A beautiful exterior paint color scheme and planting.

A portico is a must.
I would also put in a better form of edging around the flowerbeds. My choice would be brick. Then I would actually put in flat brick edging down each side of the sidewalk.
Try putting in more color in the flower beds too. I would also put a taller plant on the left corner of the house. Maybe a tree on the left side of the yard-maybe a Japanese oak? They look so good in the fall and some of them really don’t get that tall.

Here is where I differ from many folks here-I LIKE the color of the front door. But I will say that I am a bit biased. I just like bright colors and there are not that many places where you can use them on the outside of the house.

Some really great suggestions! For non-house alterations, I would suggest an oversized landing off the front door that extends about 3-4' towards both the street and driveway, stepping down to a ground level patio running the entire length of the house. Circulation would reach toward the street as well as through the patio to the drivew. The flooring material for the patio could be simple pea gravel at first, allowing you to upgrade to something harder (and more expensive) as your budget allows over time. Later you can add a low seatwall with openings to walk through to create a semi-private space that still relates to the street. Plants would be at the base of the seatwall on both sides. A few patio trees clustered towards the driveway will also help to pull the entire design towards the street, giving it a more 3-D look and less lateral flatness. The key to this space is getting the design layout down first, and then determining materials and colors later. Otherwise you are just sticking band-aid solutions on everything and it will continue to look disjointed.

Just remember it's the people inside a house that make it a home. One day in the future you will leave that home and stand in that front doorway with tears and all the memories will flash before you and you will say to your self, "What a beautiful home."

The one thing to remember, all of us, is that you are just moving in. You may stay there, but the odds are, especially in the US, that you won't.

I'm on my 6th home. My sister is still on her first - now in her 37th year living there. I can tell you she regrets changes she made early on to what was the original floor plan. Not that this is 100% the case for everyone, but consider that $60K - $70K is now considered a regret.

There's really no hurry! Focus on the no-brainer, budget-conscious changes you can make with no risk. As you live there and do those optional improvements, you'll know what's necessary and what's not.

It's easy for us to tell you to change this and that, with no skin in the game. Many of us may not know, for example, how much money it costs just to cut your house open wider in order to put in a larger, and expensive, living room window. And 3 years from now, if you leave it alone, maybe it works for you. Or not. But at least you'll know you "need it" before you make a permanent change. Tread carefully, and don't forget to enjoy your new home!

Well said Spisland

I understand what you're saying spisland, but the original request was for ideas for CHANGING the house to give it more curb appeal. So, it would have been kind of silly to say "oh, just leave things alone cause in 3 years you might be sorry for any changes you made." It's just as possible that in 3 years she'll still be THRILLED with changes she made early on.

A huge number of the suggestions were fairly inexpensive (certainly well below $60-70k) do-it-yourself projects like painting the front door, adding new outdoor lighting, changing out the shutters, planting shrubbery. Nobody was suggesting she go out immediately and spend tens of thousands of dollars...I think we ALL are aware of budget restraints, but this is the only opportunity to offer her our suggestions and she now has a nice list of possibilities to save in a "home upgrade" file for reviewing when she IS financially ready to make changes.

You mentioned your sister changing the original floor plan of her home...nobody here is suggesting changing the floor plan...just giving ideas to help with curb appeal. Floor plan and curb appeal are VERY different changes!

Thank you for the constructive criticism. I see your point in this instance, of course.
Elsewhere some advice looks like the sky is the limit, or am I alone in this.
My example wasn't meant to be identical in work or cost - yet cautionary about racking up new homeowner debt, as good ones often do. I hope I didn't offend :)

I think your house is adorable, and I like the red door and the rest of the color scheme a lot.

- I think the front door area could use some beefing up/a stronger presence (but it doesn't need a ton, your facade is very pleasing as is and you don't want to overdo it). I would build a platform/step in front of the front door, perhaps 4 feet deep 6-7' wide (ish) on either side past the door. You could take up some vertical space around the door with taller urns planted with boxwood or topiaries or really anything you like.

- Loving the symmetry of the two lanterns. Replace them with something something darker like black lanterns, or perhaps onion dome style.

- If you do replace your shutters (and I think yours are cute; maybe not a priority to replace), think about making them at least appear to be operable; each shutter should be half the size of the window, so that if they were closed (in theory), they would provide the cover and meet in the middle. Hang them on hinges.

- Not sure of your plant zone, but get some verticality going in front of the left side of the house between the window and driveway; maybe an ornamental just off the left corner of the house. Consider what the mature tree's spread will be when planting and go out from the house accordingly. A big mistake a lot of people make is planting foundation plantings that are way too close to the house. It's special to plant a tree to commemorate something, whether someone gives you money as a gift and it makes you think of them, the birth of a child, an anniversary, etc. It doesn't have to be on the exact day but doing it the same year during the appropriate planting season gives it meaning.

You have such an adorable home already with so much potential! Focus on adding a front porch area where you can relax and drink your coffee in the morning, or read a book in the afternoon if that is something you see yourselves doing. Also incorporating some updated landscape is a great way to boost up that curb appeal. Adding a small ornamental tree, like a serviceberry would look great by your house. Then adding some structural shrubs like hydrangeas or lilacs also to make some structure. Also make sure you add some evergreens for some winter interest. Then you can add perennials which will give you some color! Or if you need to wait on the landscaping for now, I'd recommend at least purchasing a pot or two and filling it with annuals every season. This guarantees you color throughout the seasons. Good luck, excited to see your progress photos!

Please lets keep this forum without criticism. Each of us have idea's and that is the point of this forum. The person asking the advise can decide which one is best for them. Everyone should feel free to express their idea. So, please lets keep to offering idea's and not critique others. Thank you.

Cute house! I think it needs a well-defined porch in front of the door. A simple solution would be to add a stained/stamped concrete slab that extends a few feet to the left of the door and past the right side of the house. This would give you a little room for a bench or chair, seasonal decorations, potted plants, etc. Wrap the right end of the slab in some taller shrubs that give year-round interest. Then add some depth to the bed under the front window. A nice row of hostas would provide a low maintenance garden and textural variety. Let me show you what I did with my house.

I'd encourage you to determine a style you and your husband love that you want to use for the exterior and interior of your home. You may want to consider a style that fits the area and neighborhood where you live or you may want your home to be quite unique. Many people have suggested a cottage theme, which would work with your home. That's great if you like it. But, there are many other styles that would work. One example is modern. You could achieve that by removing shutters, putting in a larger main floor window and landscaping like something here. https://www.houzz.com/magazine/lay-of-the-landscape-modern-garden-style-stsetivw-vs~1789524
I'd suggest you create a houzz ideabook for style. Do not think about your house. Just go through houzz and put in photos of things that are pleasing to your eye. Figure out what that style is or post some photos of what you like for us. I think we can help you transform your home to your style.

There are many styles that would lend themselves to the use of wide sweeping curve paths with plants. Other styles will be enhanced with straight, geometric paths. Paving stones were recommended to us as a walkway and patio choice used often on HGTV.

I was told that paving stones need a border called soldiering to keep the stones in place. I never checked if that is true. We found that curves and a border are tricky ... think square pegs in round holes. If you use a border, each rectangular stone is cut to fit the curved border and your border will look like a bunch of randomly cut stones. This really bugs me. I worked and worked mathematically and with cut out pieces of paper to try to get the stones around our walkway and patio curves to be the same as each other, but it just doesn't work. There are two reasons why. First, the curve radii change. And, second, you can only cut off of one side of the stones to preserve the interlocking aspect which gives even joint spacing. If you use the same color stone for the field (the center) as the soldiering (border), I think everything would blend and I wouldn't notice this as much. But if you use a contrasting border, your eye goes to the border, and I found it "in your face" icky.

So for soldiering, my preferences, in order, would be:
1. no soldiering, if that is possible
2. a cement border
3. soldiering to match the field

Also, I think if a walkway is under 4' wide, a border makes the walkway look squished.

We also learned that a wet saw should have a tarp under it to keep from staining stones or anything else. The stain can be removed, but it's a pain.

I also like the looks of aggregate on cement. Cement will handle any shape. You might want to look at this link for a visual.
https://www.google.com/search?q=aggregate+on+cement&rlz=1C1CHFX_enUS601US601&biw=1093&bih=514&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=-aXXVKyzL4ytogTY24GoBA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ#imgdii=_&imgrc=9siy8-5w_vFVuM%253A%3Bdfv_5bHzKrYQWM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Funiquecement.com%252Fimages%252Fpage1_big_pic5.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Funiquecement.com%252F%3B1200%3B800

Your home is great! Enjoy working with your husband on making it a place you love and a place that is full of love.

I think all it needs is to repaint the white window trim a bright schoolbus yellow! Then the blue and red and grey will be perfect!

i would paint the shutters, paint the door, consider making the door trim simpler, and consider adding a porch

Less is more. Whatever you do make sure that flowers and plans will bloom all summer and not just one week. Make sure nothing is rusty and things are kept up. People forget that everything they put has to be taken care of. You have to clean and paint things so it looks nice. You can have a lot of expensive stuff, but unless its properly maintained it will never look nice.

Wow. Lots of comments here. Some really good suggestions . I haven't read them all so I'm not sure if this was said already. I don't think you can put a dormer over the front door as it would interfere with the window above it. Instead ... Can you make the downstairs window into a large picture windows that would change the scale completely and make the lower part more significant. Darker porch lights and a dark door would also help.

Hi As a landscape designer I 'd love to see some layers bold flowers such as Hibiscus or Hydrangea and then seasonal perennial color - Agastache , perovskia, foliage of Heuchera , Penstemon Husker's Red ...

There is allot of good ideas and pictures, but most of them are not for your house.

If you want a basic inexpensive face lift, put a skylight above the door to bring light inside the house add a bay or bow window, etc. You can do much more, depending on the budget, but if you want a simple bump up on the house to make it stand out, this be a good way to start. Here is an example

Wow! What a plethora of ideas - I guess everyone is snowed in this year.

My picks are the first one, 99ways, with her front terrace, but I would shift it in part to the right of the front door so you can screen out the vehicular area, what I like to term the service area. Also a large tree to the right of the addition, branching over the addition will soften the look.

I also think acmaggio's approach is a good one, but I still want to lose the proximity of the "service area" visibly adjacent.

cascio.offsite@gmail.com

I like the shutters, which appear to be dark blue on my computer. If this is the actual color, I would suggest you add a dark blue metal roof the next time you replace the roof. I would suggest you add longer double windows on the first floor, to the left of the door, and also add white-painted window boxes below all the windows. As another posted suggested, matching white-painted coach lights that flank the door would look nice. I like the red door, and I think this version of the red-white-and-blue theme is wonderful for your home.

To all the folks who commented on this thread, I thought I'd add an "after." We added a portico, bluestone patio and walkway, enlarged the downstairs window, new light fixtures, painted shutters and door. I'm not sure I got the door color right, but I wanted something different than the bright red. I know the storm door is ugly, but unfortunately, it's very practical for us. The landscaping is a work in progress. We tore out much of what was there, and so the new plants are small. I'm sure there's more that could be done- new mailbox, planters on the porch, etc, but just wanted to share our work thus far. Additional suggestions or feedback always welcome :)

Sorry, houzz won't let me upload a picture. That's no fun!

There has been trouble with posting pictures this week. Others have mentioned it too. Maybe try later or next week:(

I am sure your landscaping is lovely!

You can upload it to your computer and save it to your ideabook. You should be able to upload it from there.

Looks great!

It looks great! The portico helps balance the difference between the first and second floors and makes the house look more proportionate.

Looking GOOD! I think a few smart landscaping tricks might really put the finishing touch on it. A taller ornamental off the left corner will help balance and add some interest for the eyes.

Very nice. I'd paint the storm door the color of the front door.

very nice, I would still add make that window change suggested by a couple posters above. It appears you made the walkway wider too, now add one to the driveway, but not close to the house.

Thanks for the compliments & suggestions. The plantings will eventually be tall, they are just slow-growing, unfortunately. Do people paint metal storm doors? @ Linda Anthony, I'm not sure which suggestion about the window you're referring to, there are so many suggestions above!

I am considering widening the brick garden border to create something that can be walked on to the driveway. We don't want to add an additional path beyond that, since the front yard is small and another path would take up too much space.

The front window, next to your new front porch - ck out the pics posted above - would make another huge impression. Looks good!

I think it’s a question of balance: the main floor window is too small.